UTair – Helicopter Services, a part of UTair Group, has begun aerial survey operations in Mirny, Yakutia to support for geological prospecting and exploration as ordered by the State Engineering University of Novosibirsk.

Operations will be performed with an H125 helicopter, previously known as the AS350 B3, with external load capacity. The H125 is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters and has excellent performance characteristics and low operational costs. To date, UTair Helicopters maintains 17 such helicopters in its fleet.

During the flights, topographical relief surveys will be conducted. To perform this kind of survey, a controlled flight speed of no more than 90 kmh must be maintained, two times slower than the normal cruise speed for a helicopter of this type. The survey will also be conducted at the minimum allowed altitude, allowing the lowest point of the sounding balloon to be as low as 35 meters above surveyed objects.

President of UTair – Helicopter Services Alexey Vinogradov said that flight crews have extensive experience in performing such unique operations as aerial assembly of Olympic objects, transportation of oversized cargo over long distances and providing support for aerial broadcasting of sporting events, including the ХХII Winter Olympics and Formula-1 Grand Prix in Sochi. “I am certain that for these aerial works UTair – Helicopters, the largest provider of helicopter services in Russia, will deliver quality results in the performance of the mission,” Vinogradov noted.